U.S. patent application number 12/328620 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-10 for proxy-based reservation scheduling system.
This patent application is currently assigned to AVAYA INC.. Invention is credited to George William Erhart, Valentine C. Matula, David S. Mohler, David Joseph Skiba.
Application Number | 20100145739 12/328620 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41353961 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100145739 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Erhart; George William ; et
al. |
June 10, 2010 |
Proxy-Based Reservation Scheduling System
Abstract
A system is disclosed that features a transport vehicle that
carries responsive objects in which the objects are equipped to
provide state information about their states when queried. The
transport vehicle is outfitted with a proxy that represents the
responsive objects. The proxy is configured such that it is better
able than the responsive objects to receive state query signals
from a querying device. The vehicle is also outfitted with I)
sensors that detect the responsive objects and ii) sensors that
detect state information of the vehicle, in which both sets of
sensors provide information to the proxy. The object sensors are
able to detect the state of each responsive object or query the
object about its state in the same way as the querying device would
query those objects in the prior art. The proxy then responds to
the query on behalf of the responsive objects.
Inventors: |
Erhart; George William;
(Loveland, CO) ; Matula; Valentine C.; (Granville,
OH) ; Skiba; David Joseph; (Golden, CO) ;
Mohler; David S.; (Arvada, CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Avaya;DEMONT & BREYER, LLC
100 COMMONS WAY, STE 250
HOLMDEL
NJ
07733
US
|
Assignee: |
AVAYA INC.
Basking Ridge
NJ
|
Family ID: |
41353961 |
Appl. No.: |
12/328620 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/5 ;
701/300 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/02 20130101;
G06Q 50/28 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/5 ;
701/300 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/00 20060101
G06Q010/00; G06Q 50/00 20060101 G06Q050/00; G01C 21/00 20060101
G01C021/00 |
Claims
1. A system comprising: a vehicle; a first responsive object
capable of responding to a first inquiry about the state of the
first responsive object, wherein the first inquiry is formatted in
accordance with a first protocol; a first responsive object sensor
for sensing when the first responsive object is within the vehicle;
a second sensor for sensing a first state of the vehicle; a proxy
for responding to the first inquiry about the state of the first
responsive object with the state of the vehicle when the first
responsive object is within the vehicle; and a scheduler for making
a reservation based on a response from the proxy.
2. The system of claim 1 comprising: a second responsive object for
responding to a second inquiry about the state of the second
responsive object, wherein the inquiry is formatted in accordance
with a second protocol; wherein the proxy is also for responding to
the second inquiry about the state of the second responsive object
with the first state of the vehicle when the second responsive
object is within the vehicle; and wherein the first protocol is
different than the second protocol.
3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third sensor for
detecting a second state of the vehicle.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first state of the vehicle is
location.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first state of the vehicle is
temperature.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the second sensor for sensing the
state of the vehicle is a connection to a database for storing
information about the state of the vehicle.
7. The system of claim wherein the first responsive object is a
wireless terminal associated with a passenger.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first responsive object is
associated with a cargo unit.
9. The system of claim 1 comprising: a preference database storing
reservation preferences associated with the first responsive
object; and wherein the scheduler is for making a reservation based
on both the response from the proxy and information obtained from
the preference database.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of
telecommunications in general, and, more particularly, to providing
a mechanism for making of reservations concerning the
transportation of one or more passengers or portable objects, such
as a cargo unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Dynamic rescheduling can be used to increase the quality of
service in the transportation of goods and passengers. When a
flight is delayed, it is probable that a passenger would miss a
connecting flight and would be in need for a new flight
reservation. Similarly, when meals are not served on a prolonged
flight, it is foreseeable that a passenger would be hungry after
the flight and need a restaurant reservation. Furthermore, when a
perishable cargo reaches a higher than recommended temperature
during its shipping, it is foreseeable that the cargo would spoil
faster and that alternative shipping reservations need to be made
so that the cargo can get to its destination earlier. The ability
to make these reservations before the passenger has landed, or
before the perishable cargo has spoiled, can bring a dramatic
improvement in the transportation of goods and people and a further
increase in customer satisfaction.
[0003] One method to make these reservations is to manually monitor
the state of each passenger and each cargo unit transported and
schedule the appropriate reservations as the need for them arises.
However, the sheer number of passengers and cargo units in transit,
at any give point in time, makes this method not feasible.
[0004] A better approach is to make the reservations automatically
by associating each passenger and cargo unit with a "responsive
object" capable of reporting the state of the passenger, or cargo
unit. This way a central reservation system can be configured to
periodically submit inquiries about the states of the "responsive
objects" and make the appropriate reservations in response to the
answers to those inquiries. The inquiries can originate from a
location that is near the cargo unit being transported or from a
location that is thousands of miles away from the unit. In either
case, a portable object that is capable of responding to an inquiry
about itself, such as an outfitted cargo unit, is considered to be
a "responsive object." When a responsive object, is located
outside, on land, and is stationary, the responsive object is
usually able to receive and respond to an inquiry. In contrast,
when a responsive object is inside a vehicle or an airplane, far
from land, or moving, the ability of the responsive object to
receive and respond to inquiries can be impeded. Therefore, a need
exists for a reservation system that has an improved ability to
monitor the condition and state of responsive objects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Some embodiments of the present invention provide a
mechanism for monitoring the state of responsive objects which are
in transit, including their locations, without some of the
disadvantages of the prior art, and using the state information for
the cancellation and scheduling of transactions concerning the
transportation of the cargo units, or passengers, with which the
responsive objects are associated. For the purposes of this
specification, a "responsive object," and its inflected forms, is
defined as a portable object, such as a cellular phone or a
wireless terminal, which is capable of responding to an inquiry
about itself, such as a location- or other state-related query,
having been outfitted with one or more sensors, a radio, and
associated electronics. In accordance with the illustrative
embodiment, a vehicle in which one or more responsive objects are
present is outfitted with a proxy that represents the responsive
objects. The proxy is configured such that it is better able than
the responsive objects to receive position-determining signals from
one or more Global Positioning System satellites, or from another
position-determining source. In some embodiments, the proxy is also
configured such that it is better able than the responsive objects
to receive inquiry signals from a querying device and is therefore
able to represent those objects. The vehicle is also outfitted with
i) one or more sensors that detect the responsive objects that are
present at the vehicle and ii) one or more sensors that detect
state information of the vehicle. Both sets of sensors provide
information to the proxy. In some embodiments, the
responsive-object sensors are able to query each responsive object
in the same way that the querying device queries those objects in
the prior art. The state of the vehicle can comprise, but is not
limited to, one or more of the vehicle's location, its destination,
its weight, and one or more environmental conditions inside and/or
outside the vehicle such as temperature, humidity, and barometric
pressure.
[0006] Moreover, the illustrative embodiment also comprises a
scheduler which monitors the state of the responsive objects and
makes the appropriate reservations for their transportation. For
example, the scheduler can be used to monitor whether a passenger
on an airplane received a meal and make a restaurant reservation
upon detecting that a meal was not served, such that the
reservation is made in accordance with information contained in a
preference database containing the preferences of the passenger
with respect to price range and type of cuisine, for example.
[0007] More specifically, the scheduler determines whether the
passenger was served a meal by making periodic inquiries to the
responsive object associated with the passenger. When the scheduler
submits an inquiry to the responsive object about its state, the
proxy intercepts the inquiry and responds with the status of the
vehicle. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the
responsive objects use different protocols, and the proxy is
multi-lingual in the sense that it can communicate with the
inquirer with the same protocol that is used to communicate with
the responsive object. In this way, the illustrative embodiment
provides a mechanism for monitoring the location and condition of
the responsive object without some of the costs and disadvantages
for doing so in the prior art. The illustrative embodiment
comprises: a preference database; a vehicle; a first object capable
of responding to a first inquiry about the state of the first
object, wherein the first inquiry is formatted in accordance with a
first protocol; a first sensor for sensing when the first object is
within the vehicle; a second sensor for sensing a first state of
the vehicle; and a proxy for responding to a first inquiry about
the state of the first object with the state of the vehicle when
the first object is within the vehicle; and a scheduler for making
reservations based on the response of the proxy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of the salient components
of reservation system 100 in accordance with the illustrative
embodiment of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks associated
with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting the salient subtasks
associated with the performance of task 201.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of the salient components
of reservation system 100 in accordance with the illustrative
embodiment of the present invention. Reservation system 100
comprises: vehicle 101, responsive object 111, responsive object
112, proxy 121, responsive object sensor 131, luggage sensor 141,
temperature sensor 142, scheduler 151, and preference database 161,
interrelated as shown.
[0012] The illustrative embodiment as disclosed herein comprises
certain features, yet many variations of what is disclosed are
possible. First, in accordance with the illustrative embodiment,
proxy 121 is within vehicle 101, but it will be clear to those
skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and
use alternative embodiments of the present invention in which proxy
121 is outside of vehicle 101. Second, in accordance with the
illustrative embodiment, vehicle 101 comprises two responsive
objects, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art, after
reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative
embodiments of the present invention that comprise any number of
responsive objects. Third, in accordance with the illustrative
embodiment, vehicle 101 comprises one object sensor, one luggage
sensor, and one temperature sensor, but it will be clear to those
skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and
use alternative embodiments of the present invention that comprise
any number and kind of environmental sensors, such as, for example
and without limitation, barometric sensors, light sensors,
gravimetric sensors, audio sensors etc.
[0013] Vehicle 101 is an airplane for carrying responsive object
111. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, vehicle 101 is
an airplane, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art,
after reading this disclosure, how to make and use alternative
embodiments of the present invention in which vehicle 101 is
another mode of transportation, such as, for example and without
limitation, a ship, an airplane, a train, etc. In any case, it will
be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use vehicle
101.
[0014] Responsive object 111 comprises: [0015] (i) a payload (not
shown), [0016] (ii) a location sensor (not shown) for detecting the
location of responsive object 111, [0017] (iii) a humidity sensor
(not shown) for detecting the ambient humidity in the proximity of
responsive object 111, [0018] (iv) a temperature sensor (not shown)
for detecting the ambient temperature in the proximity of
responsive object 111, [0019] (v) hardware and software (not shown)
that is capable of responding to an inquiry about the state of
responsive object 111 with information from the location sensor,
the humidity sensor, and the temperature sensor.
[0020] In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, responsive
object 111 is associated with a cargo unit, such as a freight
container, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art how
to devise alternative embodiments of the present invention where
responsive object 111 is associated with a person. In accordance
with the illustrative embodiment, the inquiry is formatted in
accordance with a first protocol. It will be clear to those skilled
in the art how to make and use responsive object 111.
[0021] As those who are skilled in the art will appreciate, in some
alternative embodiments, a second responsive object can be present,
either within vehicle 101 or within another vehicle. If this is the
case, second responsive object comprises different software or
hardware from first responsive object, and is capable of receiving
an inquiry formatted in accordance with a second protocol that is
different from the first protocol. However, it will be clear to
those skilled in in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to
make and use other alternative embodiments of the present invention
in which the first protocol and the second protocol are the same.
Also, it would be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading
this disclosure, how to make alternative embodiments of the present
invention in which the hardware and software comprising responsive
object 111 and second responsive object are the same. Furthermore,
in accordance with the illustrative embodiment, responsive object
111 is associated with a cargo unit, such as a freight container,
but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art how to devise
alternative embodiments of the present invention where responsive
object 111 is associated with a person, such as, and without
limitation, an airplane passenger, train passenger, bus passenger,
etc.
[0022] Proxy 121 is hardware and software for responding to
inquiries about the state of responsive object 111 when responsive
object 111 is unavailable to respond to those inquiries itself. For
example, when responsive object 111 is on an airplane, its radio
transmitter may be turned off to avoid interference with the
airplane's avionics. In such case, proxy 121 would compensate for
the unavailability of responsive object 111, by intercepting
queries directed to responsive object 111 and answering those
inquiries by using input from responsive object sensor 131, luggage
sensor 141 and temperature sensor 142, which are described below.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, proxy 121 is
capable of responding to inquiries directed to responsive object
111 in accordance with the first protocol and to inquiries directed
to other responsive objects.
[0023] Responsive object sensor 131 is hardware and software for
detecting the presence or absence of responsive object 111 inside
of vehicle 101 and for detecting the presence or absence of
responsive object 112 inside of vehicle 101. In accordance with the
illustrative embodiment, responsive object sensor 131 comprises a
single housing, but it would be clear to those skilled in the art
how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present
invention in which responsive object sensor 131 comprises multiple
housings. Furthermore, in accordance with the illustrative
embodiment, responsive object sensor 131 uses radio-frequency
identification ("RFID") tags in well-known fashion, but it will be
clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure,
how to make and use alternative embodiments of the present
invention in which responsive object sensor 131 is something else,
such as and without limitation, an optical bar code system, etc. In
accordance with the illustrative embodiment, responsive object
sensor 131 is located inside vehicle 101, but it will be clear to
those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to
make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in
which responsive object sensor 131 is located outside of vehicle
101. It will be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and
use responsive object sensor 131.
[0024] Luggage sensor 141 is hardware and software for detecting
whether the luggage of a passenger associated with responsive
object 111 is on vehicle 101. In accordance with the illustrative
embodiment, luggage sensor 141 comprises a single housing, but it
would be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use
alternative embodiments of the present invention in which luggage
sensor comprises multiple housings. In accordance with the
illustrative embodiment, luggage sensor 141 uses radio frequency
identification ("RFID") in well known, but it will clear to those
skilled in the art how to make and use alternative embodiments of
the present invention in which luggage sensor comprises something
else, such as and without limitation, optical bar code system, or a
connection to a central database that contains a registration of
what luggage is on board of vehicle 101. It would be clear to those
skilled in the art how to make and use luggage sensor 141.
[0025] Temperature Sensor 142 is hardware for measuring the
temperature inside and outside of vehicle 101. Temperature sensor
142 acts as a proxy for the temperature sensors within responsive
object 111 and responsive object 112, respectively. Although
temperature sensor 143 is depicted in FIG. 1 as comprising a single
housing within vehicle 101, it will be clear to those skilled in
the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use
alternative embodiments of the present invention in which
temperature sensor 143 is outside of vehicle 101. Furthermore, it
will be clear to those skilled in the art, after reading this
disclosure, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the
present invention in which temperature sensor 142 comprises a
plurality of housings. And still furthermore, it will be clear to
those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to
make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention in
which temperature sensor 142 comprises a connection to a weather
reporting service, such as, for example, http://www.weather.gov. It
would be clear to those skilled in the art how to make and use
temperature sensor 142.
[0026] Scheduler 151 is hardware and software for making shipping
reservations in response to the state of responsive object 111 as
reported by proxy 121 where the reservations comply with
limitations and specifications in preference database 161. In
accordance with the illustrative embodiment, scheduler 151 is for
making reservations for the transportation of a cargo unit, but it
would be obvious to those skilled in the art, after reading this
specification, how to devise alternative embodiments where
scheduler 151 is used for the making of passenger travel
reservations. In accordance with the present embodiment, scheduler
151 is for the making of shipping reservations but it will be
obvious to those skilled in the art, after reading this
specification, how to make and use alternative embodiments of the
present invention in which the scheduler is for executing any
possible travel-related transaction, such as and not limited to,
hotel reservation, flight cancellation, restaurant reservation,
purchasing of theater tickets, etc.
[0027] Preference database 161 is hardware and software for storing
preferences, limitations and specifications for the making of
reservations concerning responsive object 111. In accordance with
the illustrative embodiment, preference database 161 stores
information about what expenses are acceptable with respect to the
reservations made by scheduler 151, but it would be obvious to
those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to
devise alternative embodiments of the present invention in which
preference database 161 is, for example and not limited to, storing
corporate employee expense policies, personal dietary preferences,
etc. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, FIG. 1 depicts
scheduler 151 and preference database 161 as contained in separate
housings, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after
reading this specification, how to make and use alternative
embodiments of the present invention where scheduler 151 and
preference database are contained in the same housing.
[0028] FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of the salient tasks associated
with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention.
[0029] At task 201, scheduler 151 detects the state of responsive
object 111 by making an inquiry in accordance with a first
protocol. Task 201 comprises several sub-steps which are described
in detail in the discussion concerning FIG. 3 below.
[0030] At task 202, scheduler 151 executes transactions concerning
the transportation of a cargo unit associated with responsive
object 111, as necessary, based on the state of responsive object
111. For example, a perishable cargo unit can have a life of 30
days if stored at a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius or less, and
60 days if kept under 20 degrees Celsius or less. In accordance
with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the
temperature of the cargo unit associated with responsive object 111
is monitored through proxy 121 and when the temperature of the
cargo unit is such that the cargo unit is likely to spoil before
the arrival to its destination, scheduler 151 cancels all existing
shipping arrangements for the cargo unit and schedules new ones
that would allow the cargo unit to arrive at its destination
faster. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art,
after reading this specification, how to make and use alternative
embodiments of the present invention in which scheduler 151 makes
passenger transportation reservations, dinner reservations, theater
tickets purchases, etc.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting the salient subtasks
associated with the performance of task 201.
[0032] At task 301, object sensor 131 detects the presence of
responsive object 111 inside vehicle 101, which indicates that
responsive object 111 is unwilling or incapable of responding to
inquiries about its own status. It will be clear to those skilled
in the art how to make and use embodiments of the present invention
that accomplish task 301
[0033] At task 302, proxy 121 intercepts an inquiry directed to
responsive object 111, regarding a state of responsive object 111,
and in accordance with a first protocol. In accordance with the
illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the inquiry is
transmitted to proxy 121 via wireless telecommunications. In
accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the inquiry is about
the temperature of a cargo unit associated with responsive object
111, but it would be obvious to those skilled in the art how to
make and use alternative embodiments of the present invention where
the the inquiry is regarding whether the luggage of a passenger
associated with responsive object 111 is on vehicle 101, or whether
the passenger would be hungry after an airplane flight, etc.
[0034] At task 304, proxy 121 responds to the inquiry for
responsive object 111 with the state of vehicle 101 in accordance
with the first protocol. For example, to the inquiry about the
temperature of responsive object 111, proxy 121 would respond with
the temperature of vehicle 101 (as measured by temperature sensor
143) in accordance with the first protocol. In accordance with the
illustrative embodiment, the operation of proxy 121 is invisible to
transmitter of the inquiry, but it will be clear to those skilled
in the art, after reading this disclosure, how to make and use
alternative embodiments of the present invention in which the
operation of proxy 121 is made known to the transmitter of the
inquiry.
* * * * *
References